[PODCAST] World Champions Podcast: Television and The Mat Game

A golden age of wrestling on TV is the subject of this week’s World Champions Podcast: when a coast-to-coast program made new stars and local stations made promoters a small mint. Not everyone was on board with the new medium, though, and even those who embraced it found themselves neck-deep in hot water. Under Fred Kohler, Chicago would rise to become the premier wrestling city in America, and nobody was quite comfortable with that development. Kohler’s DuMont network program created a host of stars, chief among them Verne Gagne, a man who could be seen as Lou Thesz’s greatest rival even though for a long time they didn’t stand opposite one another.

Television didn’t just help to promote talent for the heavyweight gold. Lighter wrestlers like Danny McShain made a splash in this era, Asian stereotypes made a return with Great Togo and Tosh Togo (better known to some as Oddjob from the film Goldfinger) becoming a formidable tag team, and female wrestlers as well got some exposure as Mildred Burke led her group over to Japan. It seemed like there was never enough for TV networks. Then again, no one really understood TV yet, and when someone’s business had been built solely on TV, the loss of it could be catastrophic.

Check out episode #11 The Mat Game at worldchampionspodcast.com or subscribe via iTunes or Stitcher, and remember to check back weekly for more great wrestling history!